My daughter is diagnosed with deprssion and anziety she has a counsellor and see a phycyatrist for meds she has only been on meds for two weeks. She has not threatened to harm herself but I feel I am losing her and I feel lost as to how to help her?
Thank you to all what I mean by losing her is I used to be able to cheer her up and she would talk to me now she shuts me out she has social anziety.
Then she is either on a too strong of a medicine, not enough of medicine or possibly a different diagnosis other than depression (I have bipolar and anxiety and at first it just started out with depression then after I had kids I ended up diagnosed with bipolar).
As someone who suffers with depression, I can tell you that it is not unusual for it to take several weeks for the medication to help. It did for me.
Hang in there. I know it's hard on everyone when a family member suffers from depression. It will get better, but it can sometimes take a while and sometimes requires changing medications. I think it may be too soon to give up on the one she's on now though.
Also, I don't think you're really losing her, even though it feels that way. My guess is that the anxiety/depression are taking a lot out of her right now. It can be hard to feel close to people when you're depressed. Once she gets the right kind and right dose, that'll improve.
Try to get her out when you can. She may not want to because people with depression sometimes don't feel like doing anything. But it can be very helpful. Fresh air and sunshine can help. Maybe you can go for walks together when it's sunny.
Music also can be a good mood lifter. You can watch funny shows/movies together. Encourage her to spend time with friends (so long as they're not a bad influence,of course) Above all, reassure her you love her and be patient. My husband was very good at doing that, and even though he might not have been able to see it at the time, it did help.
I would also recommend asking her counselor to give you the names of some good books/ websites where you can read about anxiety/depression. I think it's helpful for people who live with someone who has it, to understand what they're going through. You could also ask her counselor if there are any support groups.
Again, hang in there. It will get better :)
Please stay in contact with your daughter's counselor and psychiatrists. Keep them in the loop of the changes and her decline and her lack of responsiveness to the medications. Meds get tweeked all the time depending upon how a person responds to them. Keep a journal of what her moods and behaviors are like, as they are probably varied and many and that will make it hard for you to remember when speaking with her doctors. The key is to provide clear and concise communication back to her doctors. That will help them make a better prescription med change.
It's sifficult to know what part is just being a teen , too. If you haven't already done so-a complete blood work, measuring vitamin D levels might be in order.
It takes time for the meds to work and they may need to be adjusted to find the right dose for her. You should also be seeing a counselor. It will help you learn how to help your daughter and sometimes you really just need someone to talk to. I found what helped my daughter was little things. If she's having a rough day I would stop at Starbucks and buy her favorite coffee, little presents like bath and body little creams, her favorite candy bar, flowers etc.. If I saw an uplifing quote I would write it out on fancy paper and hang it by her bed, a card telling her how much you love her, a movie, a manicure together,exercise or just a walk together around the neighborhood. Just this week my daughter was having problems with a class assignment and she also told me she needed deodorant. So I bought some beautiful daffadols and gave her the flowers and deodorant together. It made her laugh and that was great! My daughter has social anxiety disorder that worsen when she started college. We did have to hospital twice last year and even though it was extremely hard I think we did the right thing. She has come a long way this year but she still has aways to go. I know it is hard seeing your daughter like this but remember you both can get through it. Let her know you love her everyday and that you are there for her. Try not to get frustrated and when times get hard remember right now your daughter is ill but she will heal. It may take a long time...... look for the little things.... and repeat to yourself often "This too shall pass".
Best of luck! You and your daughter will be in my thoughts and prayers>
a majority of psych and depression meds take a good 4-6 weeks to really kick in where you notice a difference (based on what drs have told me, former pre med and one of my dd's is a pharmacy tech lol) so don't discount them just yet....
Can you elaborate a bit more on how you feel like you are losing her? is it specific things physical/emotional ? both?
I may be able to post a bit better if there is something about that you can share...
